Attitude plus activity An award-winning preventive medicine doctor has a message for seniors: You don't have to go downhill as you age.
add up to graceful aging
A doctor tells isle seniors
How to do it right
that aging is not synonymous
with loss and declineBy Helen Altonn
haltonn@starbulletin.com"Research has smashed the stereotype of how we age," says Dr. Roger Landry, founder and president of All Ways Healthy, a consulting firm focusing on wellness for seniors.
"There is a preconceived notion that we reach our peak and then it is a constant situation of loss and decline after a certain age," he said. "Research is showing us that does not have to be so."
Landry was here last week giving presentations on healthy living to seniors involved with the Kahala Nui life care retirement community and others interested.
He lives in northeastern Pennsylvania but travels extensively, giving seniors health messages and tips for successful aging.
Only one-third of how we age depends upon genes, Landry said.
"That leaves two-thirds up to lifestyle we have and choices we make. This is the first very startling message. Most of us thought we were victims of genes. We blame our parents for everything."
Landry specializes in population medicine: addressing the health needs of a specific population.
His career has spanned military and civilian medical posts, including serving as chief of Aerospace, Occupational and Preventive Medicine for the Air Force from 1992 to 1995.
He is involved in a pilot program incorporating principles of successful aging in all aspects of life in select senior communities in Florida and Louisiana.
He said his messages are based mostly on findings of the 10-year Successful Aging project sponsored by the MacArthur Foundation, which show "it's never too late to make a substantial difference in how we age."
Common ingredients for successful aging include good nutrition, regular exercise, retaining a high level of performance for long periods, participating in mentally stimulating activities and maintaining a sense of community, Landry said.
He said early results of the research projects being tested in senior communities indicate a substantial change in attitude and how people spend their lives.
"They are much more physical, much more monumentally engaged in that they are pursuing new pursuits for learning."
Most Americans feel learning occurs in their early years and the rest of their life they use that knowledge, he said. "It doesn't have to be that way. As they learn, they can grow new connections in the brain, which is startling and shocking information to the scientific world."
Successful aging involves working hard to preserve physical and mental capabilities "and even to grow them," he said, "and staying engaged in life with friends, families and meaningful purpose."
Seniors also should find out if they are at high risk for diseases or injuries and work with physicians and seek information to lower those risks, Landry said.
"I think people are going to be less and less satisfied to sit in a rocking chair," he said, adding that he was "very, very pleased" to see hundreds of people walking and jogging as he drove around Oahu.
Landry's many awards include the George Schafer Award for lifetime achievement in aerospace medicine and the Legion of Merit. He is certified in aerospace and occupational medicine.
He directed the Department of Defense Shuttle Landing Support at Edwards Air Force Base and was part of the U.S. medical response team to the Beirut bombing and Chernobyl nuclear disaster.
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>> Use it or lose it. Use your physical and mental skills, or they may not be there when you need them. Dr. Roger Landry's
top 10 list for successful aging>> Exercise. Modern science has found that exercise seems to be the closest thing to a fountain of youth. Walk at least 30 minutes almost every day and do moderate strength training two or three times a week for balance, endurance and confidence.
>> Challenge your mind. Talk to friends, play games, read, travel and use your memory. Most of the mental ability that is lost with age is due to lack of use, not disease.
>> Stay connected. Cherish family. Nurture friendships and join clubs dealing with your interests.
>> Stay productive. Use your skills or time to help others.
>> Lower your risk for disease.
>> Eat for the long haul. You need more special vitamins and minerals and fewer calories than when you were younger. Drink one to two quarts of water or water-based fluids every day.
>> Involve children in your life. The relationship between elders and children is fulfilling and necessary for both.
>> Take responsibility for another life. Plants and pets offer ways to continue nurturing relationships.
>> Laugh. There is evidence that a sense of humor may actually help cure disease.
